In cellular telecommunication systems, a communication channel is generally assigned to a call in response to a channel usage request received by a base station, whether that request is initiated by a subscriber unit, by another base station, or within the original base station itself. Desirably, the assigned channel is selected so as not to cause interference or other conflict with other channels currently in use. This is not always possible.
When a channel usage conflict arises, each base station involved in the conflict attempts to resolve the conflict expeditiously. This creates two potential problems.
First, since a conflict by definition involves two base stations, each conflicting with the other, having both base stations attempt a resolution to the conflict creates redundant resolutions, and possibly creates other conflicts in the process. Only one of any given pair of base station need attempt a resolution. When the conflict has been resolved, it has been resolved for both base stations.
Second, having all base stations or even a "random-half" of base stations attempting conflict resolutions leads to potential excessive loading for those base stations that are already heavily loaded. Excessively loading a base station may cause that base station to fail to accept handoffs, drop calls, or perform some other unacceptable action.
What is needed is a system and method in which channel usage conflicts are avoided whenever possible. Whenever a channel usage conflict cannot be avoided, one or desirably more of the following should happen: 1) the conflict should be promptly resolved; 2) only one base station in the conflicting pair of base stations should attempt to resolve the conflict; and 3) the resolving base station in a pair of conflicting base stations should be that base station with the lesser workload.